I Am Here
by MunkimaCL
Summary: (one-shot) Episode 35 - when Sesshoumaru met Rin - told from Rin's point of view. Very short and sweet.


I Am Here 

* * *

Small beams of sunlight filtered through the few cracks in the boards of my hut.  One landed on my face, and I awoke, rubbing my eyes and yawning.

I never have very pleasant dreams.  Sometimes I am afraid to sleep because of the dreams I have.  Memories from when papa, momma, and big brother were killed by bandits, and only I survived by hiding.  I was grateful for the village I lived in now.  The villagers let me live here in my little home, and as long as I stayed out of their way and didn't touch their things, they left me alone.  I'm only seven years old, but I can take care of myself.  At least, well enough.

That the morning I went to a field of flowers.  I sat there all day.  ~_I wish I was a flower,~_ I thought.  ~_I'd have hundreds of friends and brothers and sisters, and all of us would be pretty.~_

Looking off to the forest around dusk, I noticed a dust cloud rising from beyond the trees.  When the wind came from over there, I could hear the sound of a battle.  ~_Youkai fighting, probably,~_ I thought.  ~_Why does everyone fight?~_

I didn't know much about youkai, only what momma had told me.  She said they were bad and would hurt me if they saw me, and to always stay away from them.  But the bad guys in my life turned out being normal humans.  I'd never seen a youkai, but sometimes I wished I could.

I watched the dust swirl up from the distant battle, and suddenly saw a bright flash of light.  I gasped, and covered my eyes.  ~_What happened?~_ I wondered.

I knew it was safer to remain in the village.  Sitting there, I thought about what might have happened.  Finally, curiosity got the better of me, and I stood and began to walk towards the trees.

When I reached the forest, I walked timidly through the bushes, not knowing what to expect.  I didn't want to stumble across anyone bad.  ~_Maybe this isn't the best idea,~_ I thought, but I kept walking.

I went around another bush, and suddenly, right before my eyes, was a man lying in the leaves.  I quickly jumped back, and peaked slightly again.  I'd never seen anyone with clothes so fancy, but they looked torn up and dirty.  He also wore some broken armor, and a beautiful sash around his waist that held a pretty sword at his side.  His head rested on a strange fur, and his hair was very long, and silver.  ~_A youkai!~_ I realized, and backed up around the tree again, hoping he hadn't seen me.

Crouching behind the tree, I could hear him breathing heavily, and I remembered the tears in his clothing.  ~_He's hurt,~_ I realized.  ~_He needs help.  But…a youkai…~_

I peaked around the tree again at him.  I heard a sharp breath, and then…

"_Hisss!_"

With a gasp, I jumped as the youkai jerked towards me making a terrifying noise.  The only part of his face I noticed was his scary red eyes, but they soon got calm and turned gold.  ~_Pretty…~_ I thought.

He stared at me, but didn't move again.  ~_He can't move,~_ I realized.  ~_He's hurt too bad.  He can't get me.~_

Slowly, I walked out of the brush towards him.  His pretty gold eyes followed me, and I saw a lot of wounds on his body.  ~_He was the one fighting,~_ I thought.  ~_He must have lost.~_

Soon, my fear got the best of me, and I turn and fled back to the village.  When I reached my hut, I thought about his pretty gold eyes, and how hurt he was.

_~He's like me,~_ I thought.  ~_He's all by himself, with no one to take care of him.  He needs help.~_

I filled a bamboo flask with water, and returned to the forest where I'd seen him.  He was asleep now, so I walked up closer and looked at him.  He had stripes on his cheeks and eyes, and a pretty moon on his forehead.  Now that he wasn't angry, he looked peaceful.  His silver hair was so different and pretty, I wanted to touch it, but I didn't want to wake him up.  I watched as the wind ruffled his left shirt sleeve, and realized that there was no arm inside it; he only had one arm.  Soon, I went back to the village, and left the water next to him.

I had some fish, and some mushrooms saved.  I'd been planning on eating them that night, but I knew the youkai needed help, so after the sun went down, I put the fish on a leaf and carried them into the forest.

The youkai was awake, but he hadn't touched the water.  I walked up to the flask and set the fish down beside it, then turned to walk away.

"Don't do such a foolish thing.  Human food doesn't suit me."

His voice startled me, and I paused and turned to look at him.  He had a very nice voice, but it was very powerful, and sent a chill down my back.  ~_He doesn't eat?~_  I thought.  ~_Oh.  Maybe youkai eat different things.~_

While walking back, I tried to remember what I knew about youkai.  Momma had told me they were animals, and though this one didn't look like an animal, I thought that maybe he'd rather have raw food instead.

The villagers were all asleep by now, so I snuck around to a little pond by the side of the village.  I was a good fisher, and would catch fish for me at night a lot when they didn't see me.

It took me a little while, but I'd soon caught a fish.  Proud of myself, I held it up, and suddenly lanterns came up behind me.

"I knew it!"

I turned around, and saw the village men standing behind me.

"So you are the culprit!" They exclaimed.  "How dare you steal our fish!"

One of the men reached towards me, and grabbed my kimono front.  He pulled me out of the water.

"Since you don't have a family, we have been nice, and have let you live in our village.  If you do it again, we'll beat you to death."

He raised his hand, and I closed my eyes.  A moment later, I felt the sharp pain of his hand across my face, and I gasped slightly.  He then let me go, and walked back to my hut, sad that I hadn't been able to keep the fish I'd caught.

The next morning, my eye that had been hit wouldn't open.  I wanted to take something else to the youkai, but didn't know what.  Remembering what momma had taught me about wounds, I put some herbs on another leaf, and carried them out to the forest.

When I arrived, the youkai was still there.  His eyes were closed, but they opened when I walked into the clearing.

"I don't need it."

I paused again hearing his voice, but then ran to him and kneeled at his side, holding out the herbs for him.

"I told you, I don't need anything."

Then, I noticed that I couldn't see his wounds anymore.  He looked healed, but he still couldn't move, or at least he hadn't moved yet.

Looking down, I was about to leave, when I heard him speak again.

"Where did you get the wounds on your face?"

I looked back up at him.  ~_He…he cares about me?~_ I thought.

"If you don't want to speak, that is fine."

Then, for the first time since I'd first seen him, he looked at me with his pretty gold eyes.  At that moment, I was the happiest I'd ever been.  He was the first one to actually care about me since everyone died.  ~_Momma was wrong,~_ I thought.  ~_Youkai aren't all bad.~_

"Why are you so happy?" he asked when I smiled.  "I only asked you what happened."

I didn't say anything, and stood and walked away again.  I skipped back to the village, so happy, but when I reached my hut I realized someone else was inside.

"What?" he said when he saw me.  "This rundown hut is yours?"

I nodded, and then heard screams behind me.  The man ran past me, and I turned.

Wolves!

The man ran, but the wolves caught him, and then I saw another man walk up with them.  ~_A tail…~_ I thought, and realized he must be a youkai.

I think they said something to each other, but then the youkai stood up.  Suddenly, he swung his arm, and killed the man!

"I'm done here," the youkai said to his wolves.  "I'm going back.  If you want, you guys can eat as many villagers as you want."

He left, and I watched, scared, as the wolves began to attack the villagers.  ~_No…not again…not more death…~_

I turned and bolted, unable to watch it.  I ran to the forest, and stopped at the edge of the trees.  Then, suddenly, I realized that the wolves had left the village.  They were running at me!

"Ah!" I gasped, and began running into the forest.  ~_The youkai,~_ I remembered.  ~_Maybe if I reach him I'll be safe!  Maybe he'll protect me!~_

I ran as fast as I could, scared and crying, and hoping I could reach the spot where the man with the gold eyes was laying before the wolves caught me.  Suddenly my foot caught a root, and I fell.  Turning over, I gasped in terror as I saw the wolves jumping towards me…

…I was floating through darkness, with no sounds or smells or anything around me.  Suddenly, I saw the figure of a boy older than me in front of me.  I gasped.  It was my brother!

I started to run towards him, when there was a flash of light, and suddenly I was lying somewhere with my eyes closed.  I felt an arm reach around me and hold me, and when I opened my eyes, I saw golden ones staring back at me.

_~It's…it's him…~_ I thought, blinking.  He was kneeling by me, and I was leaning back against his arm and one of his legs.  He looked a little tired, but since he could move again I guessed that he was mostly healed from his wounds.

He didn't say anything, but his eyes looking into mine seemed to be trying to tell me something.  I stood and he released me, and for a moment, there was a look of gratitude in his eyes.  Then, he stood up, and began to walk away.

_~That look,~_ I thought.  ~_He looks so sad.  Could it be that I'm the first one to care about him?~_

As I watched him walk away, I realized there was someone else there.  He'd been there the whole time, and had been talking, but I hadn't noticed him until then.  I heard a little of what he was saying.

"Sesshoumaru-sama saved a human?  I'm very surprised."

_~Sesshoumaru-sama_,~ I thought, and then began to walk after him.  ~_I finally found someone to care about me.  I will follow you now, Sesshoumaru-sama, and care about you too.~_

We walked into a field, and there was a dragon creature with two heads lying there.  The youkai, Sesshoumaru, walked towards it, and then paused.

"Girl," he said.  I walked to him and looked up at his face, so far above me now that he was standing.

"What is your name?" he asked.  I looked down, shy.  I was afraid to talk.  I didn't talk to anyone.

"Stupid human, answer Sesshoumaru-sama!" the other creature yelled.  I looked over at him.  He looked like a toad.

"Can you not speak, girl?" Sesshoumaru-sama asked me.  I looked up at him again, and before I knew what I was doing, I answered him.

"My name…my name is Rin."

"Rin.  Stay here."

He began to walk away again, and I watched as the toad creature began to follow him.

"Wait for me, Sesshoumaru-sa…"

"Jaken, you will stay as well."

"…ma…" The toad finished, looking shocked.

"Stay with Rin.  I will return soon."

"Ah…she's not staying with us, is she, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Sesshoumaru-sama didn't answer, but walked away.  The toad – what did Sesshoumaru-sama call him? – walked back towards me.  He looked very depressed.

"Aye, to think that this Jaken is now just a babysitter…" he muttered.

"Ano [um]…Jaken-sama?" I asked timidly, hoping I had his name right.  He glared at me.

"What is it, girl?"

"What…what happened?"

Jaken-sama sighed.  "Sesshoumaru-sama gave you back your life using his healing sword, Tenseiga.  Why he would do such a thing, I have no idea.  He despises humans normally."

"Oh…" I felt a swell of happiness.  Sesshoumaru-sama had saved my life.

I walked up to the dragon creature curiously, looking at the two heads.  "Do they belong to Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Gah, girl, I thought you couldn't talk!"

"Ano…" I looked down.  "I didn't until now…"

We didn't talk anymore, and soon Sesshoumaru-sama returned.

"Rin," he said, and I thought it was the nicest thing in the world to hear him say my name.

"Hai [yes], Sesshoumaru-sama?" I responded.  He held out his hand, and then, I saw why he had gone.  He held a very pretty new kimono that was just my size, and a green sash.

"For…for me?" I asked in awe.  He dropped the clothes on the grass in front of me, and then reached into a fold of his shirt and pulled out a very pretty comb, which he dropped on the clothes.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, that's your…" Jaken-sama started to say.

"Go and change, Rin," Sesshoumaru-sama interrupted.  "And comb your hair."

"Se…Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Go.  I will wait for you."

I smiled brightly.  "Hai!"  I then picked up my new outfit and his comb and ran into the bushes.  The kimono looked very nice, and felt softer than anything I'd ever worn before.  It felt soft like Sesshoumaru-sama's clothes, and I realized it wasn't the normal clothes a village girl would wear.  ~_Sesshoumaru-sama is elegant,~_ I thought.  ~_He wants everything around him to look elegant too.~_

When I was done changing and combing my hair, I returned to the field.  He was still there, just as he promised.  I ran up to him, and handed him the comb, which he placed back in his shirt.

"Arigato [thank you], Sesshoumaru-sama!" I said happily.  I held up my old kimono.  "What do I do with this?"

"Throw it away, you have no use for it," he said.  I looked down at the torn red kimono I'd worn for so long, and then dropped it in the grass.

"We're going," Sesshoumaru-sama said, and began to walk away.  The dragon creature stood and began following him, and I ran along side it, not wanting to lose him.

_~I don't want to ever lose him,~_ I thought.  ~_I want to be with Sesshoumaru-sama forever.~_


End file.
